


Moments Lost and Moments Gained

by Delllonggone



Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: F/M, I shall learn one day, how do people subtly add character plot without infodumping?, i am putting off adam's scene of black moss, so here is Evangeline's backstory, welcome to the lore zone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:42:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26475115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delllonggone/pseuds/Delllonggone
Summary: Rain makes people like Evangeline think about the past. Though it is difficult, we must push through it. So Evangeline shares with Adam the parts of her past that she would rather stay hidden.
Relationships: Detective/Adam du Mortain, Female Detective/Adam du Mortain
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	Moments Lost and Moments Gained

**Author's Note:**

> I am trying to get better at dialogue. This is not necessarily an improvement, but it helps me nail Evangeline's character and backstory. I swear I am finishing Black Moss... this helps me finish it... I swear...

A warm cup of coffee and the flannel blanket wrapped around her shoulders were the only things keeping Evangeline warm on the otherwise dreary spring day.

As the season progressed, rain blanketed Wayhaven in tones of gray and blue. But bright green buds were sprouting their way from the ground, eager to seek the coming sunshine that comes after the rain. 

Evangeline stared out the window of the common room, watching the forest surrounding the Warehouse get drenched in the downpour. It was days like these that made her scars ache. 

And so she sat, mind hazy with the pain of the past. The last rainstorm she had seen was when Murphy had attacked. When she had failed to protect herself. Again.

Her fingers tightened around the mug, eager to bring warmth and life into her veins. Hazel eyes were unblinking and clouded in thought.

She didn’t need to look to know the identity of the heavy footsteps that had just entered the room.

“Did you know that I used to live in the city?”

Adam stiffened when Evangeline spoke without looking at him. Did she even know it was him and not Nate?

When Adam didn’t respond right away she kept talking.

“I went to the city to earn my degree in social working and psychology,” she blinked finally and looked over to confirm her suspicion that it was indeed Adam who was listening. He stood across the room and averted his gaze when she offered him a soft smile. He rubbed the palm of his left hand, standing stalk straight as always.

“Growing up was tough. Though I really don’t have a lot to complain about compared to others.” Evangeline took a long sip of her coffee and brought the mug closer to her chest. “Rebecca wasn’t home very often, as you well know. And when she was home… Would you say I have a temper, Adam?”

Adam couldn’t stop the scoff that escaped his lips at her question. “Yes, Detective Windsor,” he stated matter-of-factly. 

Her smile turned rueful. “I would try everything to get her attention. She was my only family, you know? And when getting good grades and performing well in sports wouldn’t work, I lashed out. By my teenage years, if she was home we were probably fighting. I don’t blame her, I was a hellish child.”

Adam took several steps closer and stood near the window she was looking out of, only sneaking glances at her when she wasn’t looking. Her rich auburn hair had lost its luster today and was piled limply in a messy bun. There were bags under her eyes and her skin seemed… sallow. Adam’s chest pinched when he realized that she was practically a shell of herself.

“Detective…” Adam started but Evangeline cut him off.

“When she wasn’t home I did everything to numb the pain of abandonment. Sports wasn’t enough, so I turned to other… activities.”

Adam cut in, “What sports did you play?”

This time a more genuine smile came across her face. She looked up at him and for a split second he could see a light in her eyes. “Softball. I was a damn good pitcher too. I was good at hitting the ball, but not so good at hitting it where it needed to go.”

Adam’s eyes flickered to the ragged scar lines crawling up her right arm and his chest constricted. Murphy’s attack had left her arm in shreds. It was a miracle the doctors were able to heal her. She had a long rehabilitation period, but Adam didn’t miss the way that she held items with both hands now instead of one. Pitching would be very difficult now.

Evangeline looked back out the window. 

“Detective, what are you getting at?” Adam wondered why she was starting this conversation now of all times. Originally he had come in to ask her to help with research, but all thoughts of research were gone he moment he heard her voice. 

The light in her eyes dimmed and she looked down at his arms crossed over his chest.

“I turned to alcohol, smoking, and sometimes crime. Still, it wasn’t enough to get her attention. I hated her job more than anything, for taking her away from me. There was one night that I had gotten into a pretty serious fight,” Evangeline raised her hand and her fingers grazed over a light scar on her temple.

“Even when I was in the hospital, she didn’t come. CPS had to take me home while they struggled to contact her. I was worried that they would take me away from her. Even with all of the hatred I thought I had for her, I didn’t want them to take me away.” 

Adam flexed his fingers at his sides to keep from reaching out to her. She was shaking.

“She came back of course. Must have been out of the country or something. We had quite the row afterwards but I was so scared I just broke down crying. That night I realized that there were hundreds of kids just like me, scared to be taken away from their homes, their families. I vowed that I would help them as much as I could. To make things right.”

Memories flashed in Adam’s mind, of a time before his heart had hardened. Helping in fields, mending homes and taking care of the people around him. It was… fulfilling. And part of the reason he had joined the Agency.

“That is an admirable goal, Evangeline,” he said.

Evangeline nodded. “So I went to college, determined to help children. I loved my classes and my internships. But it was hard. After Bobby fucked my graduate application over, I could only take an entry level clerical job at an agency for children.”

She took a shaky sip of coffee again. The bitter grounds were turning cold and lacked the warmth she desired.

“Still, I was helping children and their families. Children in the foster program find homes. Some days were very rewarding,” a soft smile turned into a shaky sigh.

“And other days I had to return children to abusive parents that we couldn’t get evidence for. Or we had to turn away teenagers who were kicked out of their homes and were homeless and starving.”

“Those days… If I knew that the kid couldn’t get any help… I’d give them anything I had. Money, my lunch, my coat. Anything to give them a semblance of safety. I knew I could be arrested if I took them into my apartment, but there were times I was tempted.”

Adam’s fists tightened. “You gave what you had?”

“Everything. Some months I had to beg my landlord to waive my late fees because I was starving myself to make rent. But I couldn’t watch children live on the street. If all the money in my wallet would mean that they could find a place to stay, I would do it in a heartbeat,” Evangeline’s voice was resolute. Adam was shocked, both at her honesty and her resolve. But something lightened in his chest, knowing how much she cared for children.

“While that is… honorable, it is not much of a sustainable lifestyle,” Adam said.

“It was hard. Everything about that job was hard. And my superiors wouldn’t let me advance because I wasn’t qualified enough, while they just sat on their mounds of paperwork and let kids fall through the cracks.” Evangeline set her mug down, a little more roughly than intended. 

Adam reached out without thinking and grabbed the mug, heart beating a little faster at the mug’s residual warmth, caused by her strong but delicate hands. If he thought too hard he could imagine he had the courage to hold her hand instead.

He shook his head and crossed the room, refilling the mug with the coffee that sat on the hot plate.

“Eventually, my superiors found out what I was doing, which was still against my contract, but not illegal. Apparently they don’t take too kindly to someone giving away their resources to children. Literally children.” Her voice was tight and Adam forced his doubts away as he sat across from her at the table. From this distance, he could feel the warmth from the coffee and the way it caused her blood to pump just a bit faster.

Adam clenched his teeth but refrained from interrupting her.

“Thank you, Adam.” 

He stiffened an looked at her directly. 

“For the coffee refill,” she continued.

His shoulders dropped just a bit and nodded.

“Sacked from my job and starving I was forced to come back to Wayhaven. And that is how I ended up here. I lived in Rebecca’s old house for a couple of months before I could afford the apartment. Originally it was just supposed to be a front desk job at the station. But the Captain saw my dedication to the people and put me into the academy. It was a nice way to get my anger out for sure. I’m sure you know plenty how durable training dummies are,” Evangeline smirked for the first time that day.

The corner’s of Adam’s mouth quirked up before he schooled them into neutrality. “This still doesn’t answer my question.”

She took a sip of the coffee again and sighed. “I spent a couple of nights on the streets, when it was bad enough. Lots of rain in the city. And after,” the words stuck in her throat and she swallowed to push them through. “After Murphy’s attack especially, rain makes me pensive.”

Adam nodded and looked out the window. 

Evangeline released a heavy sigh, laced in relief and not sadness. “But it all brought me here. I’m working on repairing my relationship with Rebecca, developing my people skills with the Unit, and protecting the people of my hometown,” she paused. “And I was serious, in the training room.”

Adam’s gaze whipped back toward Evangeline with wider eyes. She was smiling now, honest and open, the polar opposite of Adam’s usual state.

“I want to know more about you, but I have to practice what I preach. So there it was. Some of the hardest parts of my life, laid bare for you Adam,” Evangeline’s resolute voice made him clench his hands under the table, desperate to reach out to her.

“I…” he started.

“You don’t have to tell me anything in return. Not right now at least. And it definitely doesn’t have to be as heavy as what I just shared. But I hope you feel like you can be open with me. I haven’t told anyone that story before. It feels right to share it with you.” She released a hand from her coffee mug and laid it out on the table, an offering.

Adam had never been more tempted to reach out to her than in this moment. To hold her against him. To be  _ honest  _ with her like she had been with him. A small part of him wondered if holding her would give her the sense of comfort she craved. He craved.

Still, he kept his hands to himself.

After a moment, she closed her open hand and sighed, starting to revert back to her shell.

“Thank you, Evangeline.”   
Adam’s voice made her heart skip, a detail Adam couldn’t miss if he tried.

“For what?”

“For sharing with me. That can’t have been easy, both sharing and experiencing that,” he continued.

She smiled again but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Well, I’m sure that you have experienced worse, given that you’re like, ancient.” She threw out a joke to lighten the mood, desperate to lighten the heavy aura she let hand in the room.

Adam nodded. “While that might be true, it doesn’t diminish your experiences at all. Suffering is not a competition.”

Her heart skipped again and she nodded back, feeling the words resonate within her. 

“Well, regardless, I am glad I shared it with you,” she said.

“And I as well.”

For a moment they let the silence hang between them. Instead of an oppressive blanket like the silence had been before, in Adam’s presence, it wasn’t so suffocating.

And as they stared out into the rain, both of them wondered what it would be like to hold each other, bringing the warmth of two hearts together.

But for now, Adam shuffled his foot forward, allowing his calf to touch hers. And in the moment, that was enough.

  
  


So wrapped up in each other, neither of them noticed Farah and Nate at the doorway, smiling at the two repressed lovers, showing love in the small ways they can.

“Should I tease them?” Farah asked softly.

“Don’t you dare.”


End file.
